{ "name": "Setauket, New York", "url": "https://longislandtraffic.com/towns/suffolk/setauket/", "updated": "2026-09-17", "publisher": "Long Island Traffic (https://longislandtraffic.com)", "methodology": "https://longislandtraffic.com/towns/methodology/", "reuse": "Quote with credit and a link to the page URL above. Underlying federal and state datasets are public records.", "geography": { "slug": "setauket", "county": "suffolk", "censusName": "Setauket CDP", "geoType": "census-designated place", "legalStatus": "hamlet (unincorporated)", "geoid": "3666465", "gnisId": "2805099", "pop2020": 3986, "housingUnits2020": 1531, "landSqMi": 2.52, "waterSqMi": 0.76, "densityPerSqMi": 1583, "internalPoint": [ 40.95606, -73.11464 ], "parentTown": "Brookhaven town", "parentTownGeoid": "3610310000", "townShares": [ { "name": "Brookhaven town", "share": 1 } ] }, "fatalCrashes2010to2024": { "period": "2010–2024", "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0, "pedestrianDeaths": 0, "bicyclistDeaths": 0, "motorcyclistDeaths": 0, "crashesWithDriverBac08": 0, "multiFatalityCrashes": 0, "onLimitedAccessHighways": { "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, "deathsPer100kResidentsPerYear": 0, "byYear": [ { "year": 2010, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2011, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2012, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2013, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2014, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2015, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2016, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2017, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2018, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2019, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2020, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2021, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2022, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2023, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 }, { "year": 2024, "crashes": 0, "deaths": 0 } ], "byTimeOfDay": null, "darkShare": null, "topRoads": [], "roadOwnership": null }, "allReportedCrashes": { "years": [ "2021", "2022", "2023", "2024" ], "scope": "parent-town", "municipalityCode": "BROOKHAVEN", "label": "Town of Brookhaven", "total": 44155, "fatal": 172, "injury": 11428, "propertyDamageOnly": 32555, "byYear": { "2021": 10663, "2022": 10234, "2023": 11739, "2024": 11519 }, "pedestrian": 445, "bicyclist": 390, "deer": 599, "otherAnimal": 1027 }, "commute": { "workers16plus": 2099, "commutersNotWorkingFromHome": 1630, "meanTravelMinutes": { "value": 25.5, "moe": 9, "lowReliability": false }, "pct60MinPlus": { "value": 6.1, "moe": 2.9, "lowReliability": false }, "pct90MinPlus": { "value": 2.8, "moe": 1.7, "lowReliability": true }, "pctUnder15Min": { "value": 22.5, "moe": 10.6, "lowReliability": false }, "pctDroveAlone": { "value": 72.5, "moe": 10.8, "lowReliability": false }, "pctCarpooled": { "value": 2.4, "moe": 1.7, "lowReliability": true }, "pctPublicTransit": { "value": 1.3, "moe": 0.9, "lowReliability": true }, "pctCommuterRail": { "value": 1.3, "moe": 0.9, "lowReliability": true }, "pctBus": { "value": 0, "moe": 0.7, "lowReliability": true }, "pctWalked": { "value": 1.2, "moe": 1.8, "lowReliability": true }, "pctBicycle": { "value": 0.2, "moe": 0.3, "lowReliability": true }, "pctWorkedFromHome": { "value": 22.3, "moe": 4.5, "lowReliability": false }, "pctLeaveBefore6am": { "value": 4.8, "moe": 3.5, "lowReliability": true }, "pctLeaveBefore7am": { "value": 15.2, "moe": 4.6, "lowReliability": false }, "households": 1436, "pctNoVehicle": { "value": 0.8, "moe": 0.9, "lowReliability": true }, "pctThreePlusVehicles": { "value": 33.8, "moe": 12.7, "lowReliability": false }, "medianHouseholdIncome": { "value": 221771, "moe": 29533 }, "medianAge": { "value": 42.4, "moe": 11.3 } }, "benchmarks": { "county": { "workers16plus": 766432, "commutersNotWorkingFromHome": 674118, "meanTravelMinutes": { "value": 31.1, "moe": 0.4, "lowReliability": false }, "pct60MinPlus": { "value": 14.1, "moe": 0.4, "lowReliability": false }, "pct90MinPlus": { "value": 6.5, "moe": 0.3, "lowReliability": false }, "pctUnder15Min": { "value": 22.8, "moe": 0.6, "lowReliability": false }, "pctDroveAlone": { "value": 72.1, "moe": 0.4, "lowReliability": false }, "pctCarpooled": { "value": 7.5, "moe": 0.3, "lowReliability": false }, "pctPublicTransit": { "value": 4.8, "moe": 0.2, "lowReliability": false }, "pctCommuterRail": { "value": 3.2, "moe": 0.2, "lowReliability": false }, "pctBus": { "value": 0.6, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctWalked": { "value": 1.4, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctBicycle": { "value": 0.2, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctWorkedFromHome": { "value": 12, "moe": 0.3, "lowReliability": false }, "pctLeaveBefore6am": { "value": 12, "moe": 0.4, "lowReliability": false }, "pctLeaveBefore7am": { "value": 30.2, "moe": 0.6, "lowReliability": false }, "households": 512565, "pctNoVehicle": { "value": 5.1, "moe": 0.2, "lowReliability": false }, "pctThreePlusVehicles": { "value": 28.8, "moe": 0.5, "lowReliability": false }, "medianHouseholdIncome": { "value": 130686, "moe": 1707 }, "medianAge": { "value": 41.7, "moe": 0.2 } }, "state": { "workers16plus": 9306567, "commutersNotWorkingFromHome": 7916632, "meanTravelMinutes": { "value": 32.6, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pct60MinPlus": { "value": 16.8, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pct90MinPlus": { "value": 5.3, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctUnder15Min": { "value": 20.5, "moe": 0.2, "lowReliability": false }, "pctDroveAlone": { "value": 48.8, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctCarpooled": { "value": 6.3, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctPublicTransit": { "value": 21.6, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctCommuterRail": { "value": 1.8, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctBus": { "value": 5.1, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctWalked": { "value": 5.6, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctBicycle": { "value": 0.8, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctWorkedFromHome": { "value": 14.9, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctLeaveBefore6am": { "value": 10.6, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctLeaveBefore7am": { "value": 26.3, "moe": 0.2, "lowReliability": false }, "households": 7722646, "pctNoVehicle": { "value": 29.2, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctThreePlusVehicles": { "value": 11.8, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "medianHouseholdIncome": { "value": 85974, "moe": 402 }, "medianAge": { "value": 39.8, "moe": 0.1 } }, "nation": { "workers16plus": 159114094, "commutersNotWorkingFromHome": 135071605, "meanTravelMinutes": { "value": 26.4, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pct60MinPlus": { "value": 8.6, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pct90MinPlus": { "value": 2.7, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctUnder15Min": { "value": 26, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctDroveAlone": { "value": 68.8, "moe": 0.1, "lowReliability": false }, "pctCarpooled": { "value": 8.5, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctPublicTransit": { "value": 3.2, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctCommuterRail": { "value": 0.3, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctBus": { "value": 1.5, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctWalked": { "value": 2.4, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctBicycle": { "value": 0.4, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctWorkedFromHome": { "value": 15.1, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctLeaveBefore6am": { "value": 14.4, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctLeaveBefore7am": { "value": 32.5, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "households": 129227496, "pctNoVehicle": { "value": 8.4, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "pctThreePlusVehicles": { "value": 21.9, "moe": 0, "lowReliability": false }, "medianHouseholdIncome": { "value": 80734, "moe": 166 }, "medianAge": { "value": 38.9, "moe": 0.1 } } }, "research": { "researchedAt": "2026-09-17", "identity": { "officialName": "Setauket", "placeType": "hamlet and census-designated place", "parentTown": "Town of Brookhaven", "alsoIn": [], "formerNames": [], "nameOrigin": { "text": "The first colonial settlement on this stretch of the North Shore was named Setauket after the Setalcott (Setauket) Native people from whom the land was purchased.", "src": [ 1 ] }, "founded": { "text": "In 1655, six land agents representing English settlers from New England and eastern Long Island purchased about eight square miles between present-day Stony Brook and Port Jefferson from the Setalcott Indians, in exchange for tools, wampum, lead, powder and, per the Town's own account, \"1 pair of children's stockings\"; the deed is preserved at Brookhaven Town Hall.", "src": [ 1 ] }, "incorporated": null, "gnisId": null, "wikidataId": null }, "quickFacts": [ { "label": "Legal status", "value": "Unincorporated hamlet of the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County; tabulated by the Census Bureau as the Setauket CDP, a separate place from the neighboring East Setauket CDP since the 2020 Census", "src": [ 2 ] }, { "label": "Name origin", "value": "Named for the Setalcott (Setauket) people, whose land the 1655 purchase covered", "src": [ 1 ] }, { "label": "School district", "value": "Three Village Central School District (formed in the 1960s from the merger of the Setauket and Stony Brook districts)", "src": [ 8 ] }, { "label": "Policing", "value": "Suffolk County Police Department, 6th Precinct (400 Middle Country Road, Selden)", "src": [ 6 ] }, { "label": "Prior written notice law", "value": "Town of Brookhaven Code Chapter 84, \"Notice of Defective or Dangerous Conditions,\" adopted June 16, 1987 by Local Law No. 7-1987", "src": [ 7 ] }, { "label": "National Register listings", "value": "Caroline Church and Cemetery (1991), Setauket Presbyterian Church and Burial Ground (1996), Thompson House (1988), Frank Melville Memorial Park (2010)", "src": [ 3, 4, 5, 10 ] } ], "timeline": [ { "date": "1655", "label": "Land purchase", "text": "English settlers purchased about eight square miles between present-day Stony Brook and Port Jefferson from the Setalcott Indians and named the resulting settlement Setauket.", "src": [ 1 ] }, { "date": "1666", "label": "Nicoll Patent", "text": "Royal Governor Richard Nicoll granted a patent confirming the settlers' land title and establishing the name \"Brookhaven\" for the town.", "src": [ 1 ] }, { "date": "1709", "label": "Thompson House built", "text": "The Thompson House on North Country Road, associated with builder Samuel Thompson, dates to this year according to National Register records.", "src": [ 5 ] }, { "date": "1729", "label": "Caroline Church built", "text": "Caroline Church, at the junction of Dyke and Bates Roads, was built in 1729, with additional significant work recorded in 1744.", "src": [ 3 ] }, { "date": "1778", "label": "Culper Spy Ring organized", "text": "General George Washington asked his chief of intelligence, Benjamin Tallmadge, to organize the Culper Spy Ring, an intelligence network centered in Setauket that operated through 1783.", "src": [ 11 ] }, { "date": "1937", "label": "Frank Melville Memorial Park era begins", "text": "Frank Melville Memorial Park, between Lake Street and Main Street, has significant years of 1937, 1941 and 1955 in its National Register listing, spanning the Ward Melville era of local philanthropic development.", "src": [ 10 ] }, { "date": "1965", "label": "Three Village district formed", "text": "The Three Village Central School District was formed through the merger of the Setauket and Stony Brook school districts.", "src": [ 8 ] }, { "date": "1987-06-16", "label": "Prior-notice law adopted", "text": "The Brookhaven Town Board adopted Local Law No. 7-1987, the current \"Notice of Defective or Dangerous Conditions\" chapter of the Town Code, which applies to Setauket as an unincorporated hamlet.", "src": [ 7 ] }, { "date": "1988-01-07", "label": "Thompson House listed", "text": "The Thompson House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.", "src": [ 5 ] }, { "date": "1991-09-09", "label": "Caroline Church listed", "text": "Caroline Church and Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.", "src": [ 3 ] }, { "date": "1996-09-27", "label": "Presbyterian church listed", "text": "The Setauket Presbyterian Church and Burial Ground was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.", "src": [ 4 ] }, { "date": "2010-07-19", "label": "Melville park listed", "text": "Frank Melville Memorial Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.", "src": [ 10 ] } ], "sections": [ { "id": "history", "heading": "History", "paragraphs": [ "Setauket is an unincorporated hamlet of the Town of Brookhaven, on Long Island's North Shore.[2] According to the Town's own history, English settlers arrived on the north shore of the area in 1655; six land agents purchased about eight square miles between present-day Stony Brook and Port Jefferson from the Setalcott Indians, exchanging tools, wampum, lead, powder and, in the Town's words, \"1 pair of children's stockings.\"[1] The deed documenting the sale is preserved at Town Hall.[1] The Town notes that its present boundaries \"coincide almost exactly with the tribal lands\" of the Setalcotts (Setaukets) and the Unkechaugs, and that the new settlement was named Setauket for the people from whom it was purchased.[1] In 1666, Royal Governor Richard Nicoll granted a patent confirming the settlers' title and establishing the name \"Brookhaven\" for the town as a whole.[1]", "Two colonial-era buildings in Setauket are individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the Thompson House on North Country Road, dated to 1709, listed in 1988, and Caroline Church, at the junction of Dyke and Bates Roads, built in 1729 with additional significant construction recorded in 1744 and listed in 1991.[5][3] The Setauket Presbyterian Church and Burial Ground was separately listed on the National Register in 1996, with significant years of 1690, 1812 and 1919 noted in its federal listing record.[4] Frank Melville Memorial Park, between Lake Street and Main Street, was listed in 2010 with significant years of 1937, 1941 and 1955, spanning the era of Ward Melville's local philanthropic building projects (the same benefactor behind the Stony Brook Village Center and the land gift that became the State University of New York's Stony Brook campus).[10]", "During the American Revolution, General George Washington directed his chief of intelligence, Benjamin Tallmadge, to organize a network of informants — later called the Culper Spy Ring — to report on British troop movements; the Three Village Historical Society describes the ring as centered in Setauket and active from 1778 to 1783.[11]" ] }, { "id": "roads", "heading": "How the roads got here", "paragraphs": [ "North Country Road (New York State Route 25A), the North Shore's principal east-west highway, runs through Setauket; the federal listing record for the Thompson House places that building's address simply as \"N. Country Rd.\" in Setauket, confirming the road's path through the hamlet.[5]" ] }, { "id": "law", "heading": "Law and legal history", "paragraphs": [ "As an unincorporated hamlet, Setauket falls under the Town of Brookhaven's own prior-written-notice law, Chapter 84 of the Town Code, \"Notice of Defective or Dangerous Conditions,\" adopted by the Town Board on June 16, 1987 by Local Law No. 7-1987.[7] It bars a civil action against the Town or its Superintendent of Highways for injuries caused by a defective, unsafe or obstructed town highway, street, bridge, culvert, crosswalk or pedestrian walkway — or by snow or ice on one — unless a person with firsthand knowledge gave written notice of the specific condition to the Town Clerk or Town Superintendent of Highways beforehand, and the Town then failed within a reasonable time to fix it.[7] The chapter also requires a separate notice of claim within 90 days for any damage claim tied to the Town's zoning law or a zoning amendment, and states that it supersedes subdivisions 1, 3 and 4 of Town Law § 65-a for Brookhaven while leaving General Municipal Law § 50-e notice-of-claim obligations intact.[7]", "The Town of Brookhaven has no police department of its own; its Public Safety Department handles code enforcement, animal control, fire prevention and similar functions, while day-to-day law enforcement is provided by the Suffolk County Police Department's 6th Precinct, headquartered at 400 Middle Country Road in Selden, which the County describes as covering \"several hamlets and incorporated villages within the Town of Brookhaven (North)\" — the category Setauket falls into.[12][6]" ] }, { "id": "government", "heading": "Government, courts and policing", "paragraphs": [ "Setauket has no government of its own; it is an unincorporated hamlet of the Town of Brookhaven, governed by the Town Board and administered under the Town Code.[2][7] Policing is provided by the Suffolk County Police Department's 6th Precinct in Selden.[6] Fire protection comes from the Setauket Fire District, and public schools from the Three Village Central School District, which was formed in the 1960s through the merger of the Setauket and Stony Brook school districts and today also serves neighboring Stony Brook.[8]" ] } ], "legalCases": [], "landmarks": [ { "name": "Caroline Church (junction of Dyke and Bates Roads)", "designation": "National Register of Historic Places, listed September 9, 1991; built 1729", "src": [ 3 ] }, { "name": "Setauket Presbyterian Church and Burial Ground", "designation": "National Register of Historic Places, listed September 27, 1996", "src": [ 4 ] }, { "name": "Thompson House (North Country Road)", "designation": "National Register of Historic Places, listed January 7, 1988; dated to 1709", "src": [ 5 ] }, { "name": "Frank Melville Memorial Park (Old Field Road, between Lake and Main Streets)", "designation": "National Register of Historic Places, listed July 19, 2010", "src": [ 10 ] } ], "notableFacts": [ { "text": "Setauket's 1655 land purchase was paid for partly in tools, wampum, lead, powder and, per the Town of Brookhaven's own account, \"1 pair of children's stockings.\"", "src": [ 1 ] }, { "text": "The 1666 Nicoll Patent that confirmed Setauket-area settlers' land title is also the document that gave the whole Town of Brookhaven its name.", "src": [ 1 ] }, { "text": "The Culper Spy Ring, organized in 1778 at George Washington's direction, was centered in Setauket and operated until 1783.", "src": [ 11 ] }, { "text": "Caroline Church, built in 1729, has stood at the junction of Dyke and Bates Roads in Setauket for nearly three centuries.", "src": [ 3 ] }, { "text": "The 2020 Census recognizes Setauket and East Setauket as two separate census-designated places for the first time.", "src": [ 2 ] }, { "text": "The Three Village Central School District, serving Setauket and Stony Brook, takes its name from the historic three villages and was formed by merging the two hamlets' separate school districts.", "src": [ 8 ] } ], "sources": [ { "id": 1, "title": "Growth of Brookhaven", "publisher": "Town of Brookhaven", "url": "https://www.brookhavenny.gov/527/Growth-of-Brookhaven", "year": "2026", "type": "government" }, { "id": 2, "title": "2020 Gazetteer Files: Places, New York (2020_gaz_place_36.txt)", "publisher": "U.S. Census Bureau", "url": "https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_36.txt", "year": "2020", "type": "government" }, { "id": 3, "title": "National Register Asset Detail: Caroline Church and Cemetery (Ref. #91001148)", "publisher": "National Park Service, NPGallery", "url": "https://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp/AssetDetail/NRIS/91001148", "year": "1991", "type": "government" }, { "id": 4, "title": "National Register Asset Detail: Setauket Presbyterian Church and Burial Ground (Ref. #96001023)", "publisher": "National Park Service, NPGallery", "url": "https://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp/AssetDetail/NRIS/96001023", "year": "1996", "type": "government" }, { "id": 5, "title": "National Register Asset Detail: Thompson House (Ref. #87002283)", "publisher": "National Park Service, NPGallery", "url": "https://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp/AssetDetail/NRIS/87002283", "year": "1988", "type": "government" }, { "id": 6, "title": "Sixth Precinct", "publisher": "Suffolk County Police Department", "url": "https://www.suffolkpd.org/Precincts-and-Specialized-Units/Precincts/Sixth-Precinct", "year": "2026", "type": "government" }, { "id": 7, "title": "Town of Brookhaven Code, Chapter 84, Notice of Defective or Dangerous Conditions", "publisher": "Town of Brookhaven / General Code (ecode360)", "url": "https://ecode360.com/8596414", "year": "2026", "type": "government" }, { "id": 8, "title": "Three Village Central School District (home page)", "publisher": "Three Village Central School District", "url": "https://www.threevillagecsd.org/", "year": "2026", "type": "government" }, { "id": 10, "title": "National Register Asset Detail: Frank Melville Memorial Park (Ref. #10000486)", "publisher": "National Park Service, NPGallery", "url": "https://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp/AssetDetail/NRIS/10000486", "year": "2010", "type": "government" }, { "id": 11, "title": "Spies! (Culper Spy Ring exhibit page)", "publisher": "Three Village Historical Society", "url": "https://www.tvhs.org/spies", "year": "2026", "type": "historical-society" }, { "id": 12, "title": "Public Safety", "publisher": "Town of Brookhaven", "url": "https://www.brookhavenny.gov/301/Public-Safety", "year": "2026", "type": "government" } ] }, "dataSources": { "census2020": { "name": "U.S. Census Bureau, TIGERweb — 2020 Census tabulation geography (POP100, HU100, AREALAND)", "url": "https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/tigerWMS_Census2020/MapServer", "retrieved": "2026-09-17" }, "acs": { "name": "U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, tables B08303, B08013, B08301, B08302, B08201, B19013, B01002", "url": "https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/", "period": "2020–2024", "retrieved": "2026-09-17", "note": "Survey estimates with 90% margins of error. lowReliability = coefficient of variation above 30%." }, "fars": { "name": "National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2010–2024 national files", "url": "https://www.nhtsa.gov/file-downloads?p=nhtsa/downloads/FARS/", "retrieved": "2026-09-17", "preliminaryYears": [ 2024 ], "note": "Crashes on public trafficways in which a person died within 30 days. No personal identifiers. Placed by reported coordinates into 2020 Census boundaries." }, "nys": { "name": "New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Vehicle Crashes — Case Information: Four Year Window", "url": "https://data.ny.gov/Transportation/Motor-Vehicle-Crashes-Case-Information-Four-Year-W/e8ky-4vqe", "period": "2021–2024", "retrieved": "2026-09-17", "note": "Police-reported crashes coded to a town, city or village by the reporting agency. Hamlets are not coded; hamlet pages show the parent town." } } }